YouTube thumbnail preview at the size it actually shows up.
On the desktop home feed and in search, a YouTube thumbnail shows at about 360 x 202 pixels; in suggested videos, at 168 x 94. Upload yours, type the title and see it in each place, in light and dark mode, with the duration badge and the cut-off title. Compare up to three versions and download the preview.
Free, no sign-up- Duration badge
- Hover buttons
- Watched progress bar
Want to compare with the thumbnail of a published video? Download it from the video link
Thumbnail done? We turn the long video into chapters for the description and vertical clips with captions. Try it free
How to preview your thumbnail on YouTube
- 01
Add the thumbnail and title
Drop the 1280 x 720 image and type the title as you'll publish it. Channel name, length and channel picture make the preview closer to the real thing.
- 02
Switch place and theme
See the same thumbnail on the home feed, in search, in suggested videos and on mobile, in light and dark. Turn on the option that shows what covers the image.
- 03
Compare and download
Add up to two more versions, see which one reads better small, and download the comparison as a PNG to share with your team.
What size does a YouTube thumbnail show at?
You upload the thumbnail at 1280 x 720 pixels, but almost nobody sees it that big. On the desktop home feed and in search it takes about 360 x 202 pixels, reaching close to 480 wide on large monitors. In the suggested column next to the video someone is watching, it drops to 168 x 94. On a phone it fills the screen width, around 360 pixels.
That's why the preview draws each place at its real size, in screen pixels. If the text on your thumbnail reads in suggested videos, it reads everywhere. If it only reads full screen, the message gets lost exactly where the click happens.
| Where it shows | Size on screen (approx.) | What else is there |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop home | 360 x 202 px | Channel picture, 2-line title |
| Desktop search | 360 x 202 px | Bigger title beside it, views |
| Suggested | 168 x 94 px | 2-line title, channel name |
| Mobile | Screen width (≈360 px) | Channel picture, title and channel below |
What covers a YouTube thumbnail?
Three things sit on top of the image. The duration badge in the bottom-right corner hides any text or face there. On desktop, hovering shows the watch later and add to queue buttons in the top-right corner. And on videos someone has started, a thin progress bar runs along the bottom edge.
Turn on the option that shows what covers the thumbnail to see those three spots marked on your image. The most common mistake is putting the number or key word right in the badge corner. The second is pushing text against the bottom edge, where the progress bar runs.
- Bottom-right corner: duration badge.
- Top-right corner: hover buttons, desktop only.
- Bottom edge: watched progress bar.
How can you tell if your YouTube title will be cut off?
A YouTube title can be up to 100 characters, but each place shows at most two lines and cuts the rest with an ellipsis. The home feed fits roughly 50 to 60 characters, suggested videos far fewer, and the cut depends on the letters: words with M and W take more room than words with i and l.
The preview measures the title in the layout's font and tells you when it gets cut in each place. Put what makes people click in the first words, and use the thumbnail to say what the title doesn't. Repeating the title's words on the image wastes both.
How do you compare two or three thumbnails before publishing?
Add a second and a third version, each with its own image and, if you want, a different title. The preview shows the versions side by side in the same place and theme, which is how viewers see them: small, among other thumbnails. Switch to dark mode too, because black or very dark backgrounds disappear there.
After publishing, YouTube Studio has Test and compare, which shows up to three thumbnails to real viewers and picks by watch time share. The preview helps you reach that test with three options that already read well small, instead of spending it on an image nobody can read.
More than a thumbnail preview. The rest of the video, ready to publish.
Frequently asked questions
What's the right YouTube thumbnail size?
1280 x 720 pixels, 16:9, at least 640 pixels wide, in JPG, PNG or GIF and under 2 MB. If your image isn't there yet, fix it in the thumbnail size tool first and then come back to the preview.
Why does my thumbnail look different on mobile?
On a phone the thumbnail fills the screen width and there are no hover buttons. The title sits below it, next to the channel picture, and usually gets cut sooner than on desktop.
Does the duration badge cover my thumbnail?
Yes, the bottom-right corner. On a 12:34 video the badge covers about 38 x 18 screen pixels, which on the 1280 x 720 image is a block of roughly 135 x 64 pixels, plus the margin to the edge. Keep text and faces out of it.
How do I see my thumbnail in YouTube dark mode?
Pick the dark theme in the preview. The background turns almost black and the title turns light. Thumbnails with a dark border or black background lose their outline there, so check both themes before publishing.
Can I test two thumbnails on YouTube itself?
Yes. Test and compare in YouTube Studio rotates up to three thumbnails on the same video and shows which got the bigger watch time share. Use the preview first to pick the three that go into the test.
Does the preview use YouTube's official look?
No. It's a neutral layout that resembles the site, drawn with each place's measurements, with no logo or brand elements. It's for checking size, legibility and cut-offs, not for passing as the real screen.
Thumbnail ready, video ready. We do the rest.
Upload the long video or paste the YouTube link. We transcribe it, build the chapters for the description and deliver vertical clips with captions to promote the video on Shorts and Reels.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.